A little problem with the 'L' word
by Ella Inspired
Summary: Stella proclaims her love for a bug. Ray isn't happy.


**Lemonade Mouth**

**A little problem with the 'L' word**

**By Lavender**

_So it's been a while since I wrote a one-shot for LM so I figured why not? _

_Anyway, here's another tribute to Rayella, the best darn couple since Wenlivia :) _

_I own nothing and no one._

(^^)

"What's up with you?"

"Nothing I'm fine."

Ray Beech rolled his eyes at the half-Asian sitting in front of him. "How many times are you going to use that excuse? I honestly thought you were more creative than that." Stella Yamada rolled her eyes in return. "And what makes you think it's an excuse?"

"Because you've been like this for a week," he pointed out and frowned as she turned her head away.

He hooked his index finger under her chin and turned it towards himself, his smirk softening into a small smile. Stella flinched slightly.

One way he always got what he wanted out of her was to smile that sweet, innocent smile of his. That's how he got her to go out with him that first time four months ago too, him, and that stupid smile of his. Every-time they were together she had to remind herself that even though they were Ray-and-Stella now, and not just Ray and Stella, he was still Ray Beech.

He was cocky, arrogant, a dick, a bully and a ferocious sore-competitor. Everyone agrees. It's an acknowledged fact. But she knew that beyond his bad boy exterior, he was just like any other guy who liked a girl.

And that was the heart of the matter.

Ray was a lot of things, but a communicator he wasn't.

He never did anything with words. If he was pissed about something, he'd take out on his soccer team who would most definitely feel his wrath for the next couple of days. If he was frustrated he'd blow up almost instantaneously on whoever happened to be nearby, and that included a tree and a lonely squirrel. If he was amused, he'd smirk and not say a thing unless it came to mind. If he was annoyed, he'd glare and somehow, some way, you'd know that you had to stop whatever you were doing just in case. If he was happy; well, everyone would be alive at the end of the day and the school would still be standing; simple as that.

Normally it wouldn't bug her. But come on, was saying what he felt so hard to do?

"Ray, I'm fine. Go back to practice," she all but dismissed him, giving him a smile.

It was stupid of her anyway. After four months, why would something so insignificant bug her so much? He gave her a look, his deep eyes, a kaleidoscope of greens and blues, demanding everything that she tried to hide. But she continued to smile and waved him off. "I'm just being a girl, don't worry about me."

"How can I not? Practice is over."

The soccer pitch was indeed empty and only the two of them remained.

"Oh. Well I guess I should pay more attention then," Stella claimed, standing up and pulling Ray from his squatting position in front of her. "Stell," he halted, pulling her back when she tried to walk away with one hand on her forearm. "Tell me what's wrong."

"What makes you think something is wrong?"

"Don't go there Yamada," Ray warned half-heartedly, his hand slipping from her forearm into her hand, "I already scared off five freshmen trying to get your attention during lunch."

"It wasn't five," she disagreed. "No it was probably eight, but the other three were sophomores so they don't count," he dismissed. His eyes turned into a soft sea of cerulean blue with bright flecks of green shining within their depths, he asked again, "What is it?"

She would've said no, nothing was wrong. That's what she would've done. But Patty's words echoed in her head:

"_He just wants you because you're giving him a leg-up on the social ladder. You mean nothing to him. You're just like the other girls he uses to remind people exactly who he is. __**He doesn't even like you!**__"_

Patty of all people shouldn't have been the one to make her doubt her relationship with Ray, but what she said made sense. Ray had _everything_:

He was born with money, had a whole squadron of adoring admirers, a hot car, a varsity jacket, a captain's badge, a place in the honour role and he was the front-man for Mudslide Crush. And what was she? The loudmouth who averaged a C in academics, a rock-playing guitarist and the dubbed: troublemaker from Long Island. In comparison, Stella Yamada had nothing on Ray Beech. What exactly did he see in her? If Lemonade Mouth hadn't formed and reached the success that it did, would Ray-and-Stella still stand, or would they be just Ray and Stella?

"Do you even like me?" She blurted out getting Ray's brows to jump onto his forehead. "What?"

Inhaling in aggravation, Stella repeated the question: "**You **_like___**me** right?" He opened his mouth, shut it, and reiterated the action again. "Are you kidding me?"

Normally such a reply would make her stop and realize how silly she was being, but it couldn't, and didn't happen this time. She had to know.

"Do you, or don't you?"

"Stella," he began, "we've been together for four months; how can I not?"

"That doesn't answer the question."

"Don't tell me that's why you've been acting this way for the past week," he said in disbelief.

"So what if it was?" Stella challenged. "Answer the question Ray."

"You do know that I'm a show them by way of action and not by way of words right?" He began quite frankly. "I know, but all you have to do is say it and I'll leave you alone," she said flatly.

"Stell..."

"Ray, saying you like me shouldn't be that hard. Like you said, we've been together for four months."

"Come on..." he almost whined.

"Just say it. Three little words. It isn't hard."

He made a face. "I already asked you out, why do I even have to?" Stella sighed, slipped her hands out of his, and tugged the collar of his royal blue soccer shirt, held on and smiled at him. "Because it means something to me," she claimed and Ray sighed again. "Alright fine," he conceded.

He took a breath, opened his mouth and formed his words: "I. L..."

Stella raised a brow. "You L...?" Ray rubbed the back of his neck with his one hand while he held his soccer ball to his side with his other. "I l..."

"Ray."

"I'm trying..." She rolled her eyes. "You're being so melodramatic. "Like" isn't a hard word to say. It's not like I'm trying to make you say super-fragile-e-stick-ex-pea-al-a-docious."

"You forget that I never admit to _liking _anything," he reminded. "Oh come on, I'm sure you admitted it about something at some point."

"Yeah, I don't think so."

"Well, you like Rocky-Road ice-cream."

"I never admitted to that."

"Well all anyone has to do is watch you eat it and -"

"Exactly," he interjected, "I never said it, but people see it. I'm an action type of guy." She rolled her eyes again. "But I'm sure you've said you liked something before!"

"No."

"Ray," Stella almost wailed, "please just say you like me and then we can go."

"Why don't we just go, and I'll tell you later."

"Don't even try and stall," she ordered, glaring at him. "Just please tell me."

"You know I do, so what's the point of telling you something you already know?" Ray asked getting her to sigh. "I've just never heard you say it before." He stared at her incredulously. "Didn't I?" She shook her head. "Well, wait, how'd I get you to go out with me then?" Stella shrugged. "You just did. It was obviously a bit sketchy at first, but we had fun and the more time we spent together...I don't know...I guess we just worked. But you never told me that you like me."

"I asked you out didn't I?"

"But you asked Patty out too," Stella retorted. Ray rolled his eyes. "Hardly; if you call: 'Patty, you're with me now, Get it?' asking her out." She snorted. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah well..." Ray shoved his other hand into the pockets of his tracksuit pants while the other hand kept the ball against his body. He shrugged nonchalantly. "But still."

Ray sighed. "Why do you suddenly care so much? This never bugged you before." Stella shrugged. "I don't know. I just...I just need to hear it..." He still remained hesitant and she rolled her eyes again, frustration seeping into her.

"Ray, it isn't hard. Look, I'll show you," she grabbed his soccer ball and held it in front of her face. "Ball, I like you." Turning to Ray, she smiled, put it in his hands again and said, "See, not hard." He frowned. "Did you just admit to liking my ball?"

"Yes, yes I did," Stella responded. "Come on, it wasn't hard. Just say it."

"To the ball or to you?"

"Ray," she began again only to have him interrupt, "Alright, alright." He cleared his throat. "I. L..." A pause.

"Really?" He could only manage a shrug in reply and Stella sighed in agitation and said, "Fine be that way." She pushed him aside and jumped off the grandstands yelling loudly, "I like you sky, I like you tree, I like you Wen's oddly shaped alien cloud, I like you soccer pitch, I like you grass, I like everything –BUT- Ray Beech!"

"She's on her period," he grumbled in response to himself as if to explain away her behaviour, as he followed her off the soccer field and through the school building.

His half-Asian girlfriend continued in this fashion as they walked past the cafeteria where a large herd of freshmen still remained for their initiation ceremony. He had to watch in borderline amusement and anger as she claimed her like and then love of every single person in the room.

The boys seemed undoubtedly pleased with her confession and yelled a few of their own at her:

"Nice ass!"

"Like me enough to give me a kiss right here?"

Ray was seething with anger by the time they exited the cafeteria, but it seemed that Stella was completely deaf to the freshman boys' proclamations. Those kids were lucky they were just kids otherwise he'd have them all in the garbage disposal before Stella could say: 'Cruel and unusual punishment'. What would definitely set him off would be if his girlfriend proclaimed her love for his soccer team which were filled with boys who'd simply love to take advantage of her.

His turning point however was not his soccer team, but when Stella proclaimed her undying love for a random bug that crawled onto the tarmac in the school parking lot.

"I LOVE YOU DEEPLY OH RANDOM COLORFUL BUG ON THE GROUND! FOR ETERNITY I HAVE SEARCHED AND NOW I'VE FOUND YOU CRAWLING ACROSS THIS ENDLESS, MISERABLE, LONELY ROAD CALLED LIFE!"

"Okay Stell, you made your point -"

"BEHOLD! MY LOVE SO PLENTIFUL AND GENEROUS LIKE AN OASIS IN A DESERT OF A THOUSAND SANDS!"

"Alright, I -"

"I LOVE THEE WITHOUT COMPARISON! NO ONE COMES CLOSE! YOUR PLACE IN MY HEART; THE ENTIRETY OF MY MOST BELOVED ORGAN, IS AT YOUR DISPOSAL, I AM BUT YOUR ETERNAL SERVANT!"

"Stella I -"

"I LOVE YOU BUG!"

"I love you too."

She whirled in his direction so quickly, Stella was sure that half of her insides were still facing the opposite direction. "What?" Ray grumbled to cover up the flush that adorned his sun-kissed skin. "Geez you carry on and on about it and when I finally say -"

"Did you just say that you loved me?"

"No, that would be a past tense." Stella stalked towards him again (because during her loud monologue she'd danced and twirled like a hyperactive pixie on eight cans of Pepsi) and crossed her arms, her eyes running over him as if taking his measure and worth with a simple movement of her eyes.

"Oh god, now you're angry at me? Why do I even bother with girls?" Ray demanded to no one in particular, just about ready to jump into a dramatic monologue all on his own if not for the sudden pressure of her lips on his, however they pulled away sooner than he expected.

They stared at each other.

"Not that I didn't enjoy that or anything, but what was that for?"

She grinned at him. "You said you loved me." Ray rolled his eyes. "I told you, that's the past tense." Stella rolled her eyes at him playfully and leaned her nose against his. "You're such an English dork."

"Well I did what you wanted."

"Uh Ray, I would've been happy if you stuck with just saying you like me."

"I know."

"And...?"

""Like" doesn't cover it," Ray stated with a small smile which quickly faded as he added, "But say you love another thing that isn't me and I swear I'll go into a longer monologue than you did with that bug."

**FINIS**

"Wait here," Ray said as he opened the door for Stella and stepped aside for her to get in. She raised a brow. "Uh, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, but I'll be right back."

Before she could say another word, Ray already turned around and was walking back to the spot where he confessed to not liking but **loving** Stella Yamada.

The boy wasn't a very good communicator, but he made up for it quite well, at least he thought so anyway. But there was something still bugging him, _a bug, _to be precise.

Ray walked back to the spot where himself and Stella last stood and looked down.

The lucky bug that had his girlfriend's undying love proclaimed loudly in a semi-deserted parking lot remained where it was previously. It lay idle on the black tarmac, its weird feelers twitching – the only indication that it was still alive. The blonde felt a maniacal smile creep on to his face. Not for long.

SPLAT

Stella watched in mild confusion as Ray returned to the car and got into the driver's seat. At the self-satisfied smile on his face, she raised a brow. "What was that all about?"

He smiled at her.

"Just took care of the competition is all."

**REAL FINIS**

**Ahaha, 'tis me again Rayella fans! Hope you've enjoyed the story! **

**For those who're wondering, the idea came to me when my friend decided to declare that she loved me more than a bug. That's not very flattering now that you think about it...but eh...**

**Anyway! **

**Thanks for reading! **

Lavender

**PS: For those who didn't notice, I got my name changed! Not really. Technically it's just my real name (ish) and my penname but oh well.**


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